[masi76gc]

I would like to hear from other owners of Audio-Technica OC-9/ML II cartridges about what phono preamps, solid-state or tube, and with or without step-up transformers, worked well for them.

I currently feed my OC-9 into Michael Yee Audio PFE-1 and find that the bass output is well-defined, but lean and lacking proper extension.  Is this just the character of the cartridge?  I am also suspecting less than optimal match with my phono preamp.  I have set up my PFE-1 with input load impedance of 100 ohms and gain of 60 dB.

[TheChairGuy]

Hi,

I've heard the same refrain about the OC-9 (either version) - it's a bit lean in the bass department.

As well, I owned the Michael Yee-designed Musical Surroundings Phenomena preamp (and enjoyed it mostly).  It, too, had a certain leanness to bass of all the cartridges it was paired with.  I had thought that it might have been battery power as the cause....but maybe  it's somehow endemic of Micheal Yee's phono pre's.

Isn't your preamp switchable gain and load?...that utter adjustability is pretty much a Micheal Yee hallmark, too.  Mess around with a variety of gain and loads to see if bass leanness/extension improves, by all means.  I suspect it won't dramatically as I think 60 db and 100 ohms is in the right ballpark.

[lcrim]

I have the OC9MLII and have used it with KAB modded Technics 1200 MKII which recently also had a tonearm rewire.  I have used both a Jolida JD-9 and an Eastern Electric Minimax phono section with this setup.  Audio Technica rates the output of the OC9 @ .4 mV and the Jolida has an incredible 95 dB gain on its low setting and an 85 dB gain rating for its high output setting.  I tend to think that these gain ratings are a bit optimistic but it is a quiet tube phono section that provides more than enough gain for the OC9 and does have a more dense, tactile image than a ss device.  It is a reasonably priced quality unit.
The EE is on another plane altogether.  It can be and usually is compared to much pricier units.  It has a stated gain figure of 57 dB and I also have a EE MM modded preamp that has another 18 dB of gain.
It is usually recommended that the gain should come from the phono section to avoid noise.  I have not had this problem but I recently changed cartridges to an older unused Ortofon MC20 Super MKII mostly because of the somewhat zingy character of the AT.  The Ortofon is more nearly neutral but the AT can be said to be quite detailed and has an extended high end.  I don't agree that the OC9 is lean, the bass is fast and clean, no overhang and that doesn't please some people.  It has a tendency in my view to sound a bit edgy at times, just my opinion.

[masi76gc]

Hi,

I've heard the same refrain about the OC-9 (either version) - it's a bit lean in the bass department.

As well, I owned the Michael Yee-designed Musical Surroundings Phenomena preamp (and enjoyed it mostly).  It, too, had a certain leanness to bass of all the cartridges it was paired with.  I had thought that it might have been battery power as the cause....but maybe  it's somehow endemic of Micheal Yee's phono pre's.

Isn't your preamp switchable gain and load?...that utter adjustability is pretty much a Micheal Yee hallmark, too.  Mess around with a variety of gain and loads to see if bass leanness/extension improves, by all means.  I suspect it won't dramatically as I think 60 db and 100 ohms is in the right ballpark.

Right, the PFE-1 does have the same adjustability as the Phenomena (essentially the same board from what I can tell).  My experience with adjusting input load impedance is that higher load compromises treble purity and lower load make the bass even leaner.  I do wonder about the lean bass being a general character of Michael Yee's phono stages...

[masi76gc]

I have the OC9MLII and have used it with KAB modded Technics 1200 MKII which recently also had a tonearm rewire.  I have used both a Jolida JD-9 and an Eastern Electric Minimax phono section with this setup.  Audio Technica rates the output of the OC9 @ .4 mV and the Jolida has an incredible 95 dB gain on its low setting and an 85 dB gain rating for its high output setting.  I tend to think that these gain ratings are a bit optimistic but it is a quiet tube phono section that provides more than enough gain for the OC9 and does have a more dense, tactile image than a ss device.  It is a reasonably priced quality unit.
The EE is on another plane altogether.  It can be and usually is compared to much pricier units.  It has a stated gain figure of 57 dB and I also have a EE MM modded preamp that has another 18 dB of gain.
It is usually recommended that the gain should come from the phono section to avoid noise.  I have not had this problem but I recently changed cartridges to an older unused Ortofon MC20 Super MKII mostly because of the somewhat zingy character of the AT.  The Ortofon is more nearly neutral but the AT can be said to be quite detailed and has an extended high end.  I don't agree that the OC9 is lean, the bass is fast and clean, no overhang and that doesn't please some people.  It has a tendency in my view to sound a bit edgy at times, just my opinion.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the OC-9.  It seems like whether the treble is edge or not could depend on the setup.  I compare the OC-9 to my Monster Cable Sigma Genesis 2000, a cartridge known for pure treble, and I don't find the OC-9 to be edge.  If anything, the treble refreshingly lacks the artificial brilliance found in some MC designs.  It compliments its bass, whose character is well defined with excellent rythm and pitch.  From what you and TheChairGuy are saying, the lean bass could be addressed to a degree, which is promising.

[TheChairGuy]

I found every (HO)  cartridge to have leaner bass thru the Phenomena than using the phono stage of either my (both tubed) Dynaco PAS-4 and Quicksilver Full Function preamps.

I thought it was maybe a function of SS sounding different, or leanness b/c of battery (something I've noted before with DC), but maybe it's endemic of Michael Yee's designs for some reason.  Overall, I liked the Phenomena, but the bass did sound lean to me.

I only tried the 1K, 2K and 50K settings for my cartridges...you have a lot more to play with for your .4mv outputted AT OC-9 II